The Impact of Kindness on Mental Health

How can you leverage kindness for your mental health?

Here are 4 tactics I used:

1.    Help an older person
At 19 I was suspended from school for 5 days.
Why?
→    “Too chatty”
You know, the school system is based on not giving a voice to guys and girls.
“So?”
So I had to spend 5 days in a care home – as “punishment”.
In reality it was one of the best gifts ever.
I was more empathetic with elders than all the nurses combined.
But most importantly I figured out the impact of kindness on mental health.
Feeding the elderly at breakfast made me proud for 5 days.

2.    Give charity
When I used to go shopping physically, there was always a person asking for charity.
99% of the time they were from Africa.

What I used to do is this:
→    I gave them money
→    And in return, I’d ask them to share a quick version of their story.
I’ve goosebumps now thinking about it.
You can’t even imagine how grateful you become after listening to those stories.

3.    Be kind online
Do you know why I use emojis here on LinkedIn?
Nope, it’s not for fun.
It’s for trying to spread kindness.
Emojis make me happy – and I hope they make you happy too.
So, be kind on social media.
Social media are empty platforms.
The ones accountable for the emotions we experience here are ourselves.

4.    Help cats in catteries
A friend of mine was fully in love with cats – more than her boyfriend 🙃
She used to spend Saturdays in a cattery to help cats struggling.
Thanks to her, now I love cats.
And thanks to her, now I know the power of helping animals in trouble.